4/18/2009
West Village: 50 Commerce St (near Barrow St) - (212) 524-2301
Price Range: High End
Rating (1-10): 7
Commerce is a moderately fancy but casual and boisterous restaurant serving high quality New American-y dishes in an unassuming part of the West Village. It’s a lively and noisy spot which might not be the best area for quiet conversation, but good for an environment where you feel comfortable to laugh as loud as you want. The food is rich and strongly seasoned while the service is friendly though a bit harried thanks to the packed bar and generally intense atmosphere.
One thing to appreciate at any restaurant is an effort to put out good bread. I’ve always been of the belief that the bread itself has the potential to be the best thing on the table. The quality of the bread also indicates a lot of things about the restaurant: soul, genuine interest in serving quality product no matter the P+L, and genuine interest in the customer experience. After all, the bread is a free offering and one that only serves to take up space in a stomach that might otherwise be fed something with a price tag. In other words, there’s not a whole lot in it for the restaurant. At Commerce, they offer a selection of various types of breads – from rolls to pretzel bread to more traditional wheat bread to more crusty selections. It’s all quite good and does in fact leave a lasting impression. The bread basket peaks the curiosity and deserves a tip of the cap.
In contrast, the steak tartare appetizer, which was recommended by the server, was below average. Obviously the point of this dish (raw beef) is to taste the essence of the meat flavor in its unadulterated form. But the overabundant quenelle of cream and chives atop the chopped meat serve to mask, rather than accentuate, the flavor of the meat. I can still vividly remember the meat flavor of the steak tartare that I ate at a market restaurant in southern France 7 years ago. But at Commerce, I struggled to get any sense of the taste of the tartare even as I was eating it – in fact, I could barely tell what was beef and what was other stuff by looking at it.
In the entrees, the chicken for two, which has received rave reviews and has become something of a signature dish of the restaurant, does much better. The dish takes 45 minutes from when you order it, so be ready for a wait. This isn’t highlighted as drawback however – in fact, there’s something nice about the idea that a restaurant insists on doing things the right, if inefficient, way – kind of like taking time to create real paella, rather than serving rice pilaf in 10 minutes.
The chicken is cooked whole, presented, and then butchered into two halves and plated. The meat is deliciously moist, and nicely seasoned with herbs (and I’ve read, truffles but wasn’t entirely sure) under a crispy skin. It’s a very rich, salty dish as the chicken is accompanied by pureed potato (somewhat like a thinner version of mashed potatoes), a brown sauce, and small pieces of croutons (the stuffing) soaked in juices of foie gras. It’s a neat idea to have the ultra-flavorful croutons accompany each bite of meat – providing a boost where it’s difficult for seasoning to reach deep in the body of the chicken. The dish is well-thought out, carefully executed, decadent and sleep-inducing satisfying.
Despite the success of the chicken dish and my recommendation to get it, at $28 per head, it’s pushing the limits of what is essentially half of a roast chicken with some fancy fixins. As good as it is, I would hesitate to call it the best game (no pun intended) in town, and certainly not dollar for dollar. A whole Peruvian rotisserie chicken, for example, can be found for under $10 and it can deliver just as much, if not more flavor, juiciness, and seasoning. The moral of the story is that, while you will get high quality, you should be prepared for high prices as well on the menu at Commerce.
The interior is very pleasing but it’s hard to put a finger on exactly why. Although I don’t often make restaurant comparisons, Commerce has the feel of a place designed by the masterful Kevin McNally – like a Schiller’s or Pravda. The yellowish lighting of the restaurant, simple but inviting décor, and shiny tile walls give it a feel like a bistro feel from a bygone era. It’s a fun vibe - kind of like that of a dinner party after everyone's gotten drunk - and it makes you feel part of a scene. The servers, runners and bussers do well to dip and dodge and maintain a friendly, communicative demeanor in the somewhat frenetic environment and crowded bar area. It’s not ultra attentive service but it’s not that kind of place either. The mostly financy, yuppied out, decidedly undiverse clientele here don’t seem to mind as long as drinks are in hand and the food is there. No one’s here for 4 stars, they’re here to loosen up, even if they do happen to be wearing a blazer.
In the end, I’m not convinced that this restaurant offers the best value but I’d bet that you will be satisfied with the meal – which may just make it worth it. Commerce suits the bill for a cozy but very lively, slightly off the beaten path restaurant tucked in the backstreets of a well-trodden area. Drinks are good, the mood is vibrant bordering on party, menu selection is appetizing, and the execution of the food is very solid, but it comes at a West Village premium.
Showing posts with label Neighborhood: West Village. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Neighborhood: West Village. Show all posts
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Market Table
2/17/2008
West Village: 54 Carmine (and Bedford) - (212) 255-2100
Price: Mid-Range
Rating (1-10): 7
The quick and dirty:
Market Table offers a sophisticated yet comfy and unstuffy atmosphere with the food to match. The point of this place isn’t to hit you over the head with dazzlingly complicated cooking, décor, or service; instead Market Table makes small twists on the food here and there, but stays simple and refined – and the return is high quality. It’s not food to impress; it’s food done right, and that should impress.
The menu is small and the dishes are straightforward – a carefully selected handful of ingredients in each dish, cooked to maximize their own essence. This is a sophisticated and challenging kind of cooking that lets food be itself.
I had the seared halibut on a bed of home fries and rock shrimp (interesting combo – despite what I say in the paragraph above, I’m not sure yet how they tie) and caramelized onion. It tasted good - crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside - but as fish at restaurants often does, it left me feeling like I could have prepared the dish at home. There was no special sauce, no special spice, just good salt and pepper seasoning. The bed it sat on was oversalted and the peculiar rock shrimp/potato combo was in the end not much different from good home fries at brunch. But in retrospect, I blame my selection, not the restaurant. It’s just not what I wanted but it’s exactly what I ordered, save the extra salt. If I had to do it again, I’d get the blood orange salad appetizer and the burger, the strip steak or the braised lamb shank.
The service was fine and friendly, but nothing extraordinary. At the same time, this is meant to be a casual atmosphere, so as long as the plates are cleared, the cups are filled, the bread is there, and the server can answer some questions on the menu, I’m cool with that.
Full Review:
Market Table, a combo effort of chefs of the Mermaid Inn and the Little Owl, offers a sophisticated yet comfy and unstuffy atmosphere with the food to match. The place isn’t woefully original – the interior feels familiar, feels like it has been done before. The theme is a small grocery/deli connected to the restaurant, I suppose, so that you can see and buy what they use. Big deal. I think Blue Hill, in the same neighborhood, sourcing from a farm upstate is a much cooler concept.
But there’s something to be said of a place that doesn’t try too hard to be something it’s not, and likewise to make its food something it’s not. The point of this place isn’t to hit you over the head with dazzlingly complicated cooking, décor, or service; instead Market Table makes small twists on the food here and there, but stays simple and refined, close to the style of its owners – and the return is high quality. It’s not food to impress; it’s food done right, and that should impress.
The menu is small (7 entrees) and I had no problem with that – the last thing I want is a place that claims to do steak, sushi, burritos, and falafel. Besides, if the menu was any longer, it would only have made it more stressful to choose from all the delicious sounding plates.
The dishes are similar to the Little Owl’s in their simplicity – a carefully selected handful of ingredients in each dish, cooked to maximize their own essence. In my mind, this is the most sophisticated and challenging kind of cooking – the kind that lets food be itself. It shows discipline and a real understanding of taste. It’s often easier to mask the core ingredients of a dish with 12 additional vegetables, some bright yellow mango and 47 spicy spices – think Emeril Live. If you make the food sufficiently unrecognizable and the flavors sufficiently confusing, then you might get the benefit of the doubt that it’s actually good. Thankfully, Market Table does not lean on that crutch.
I had the seared halibut. Below it sat home fries and rock shrimp (interesting combo – despite what I say in the paragraph above, I’m not sure yet how they tie) and caramelized onion. It tasted good - crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside - but as fish at restaurants often does, it left me feeling like I could have prepared the dish at home. There was no special sauce, no special spice, just good salt and pepper seasoning. The bed it sat on was oversalted and the peculiar rock shrimp/potato combo was in the end not much different from good home fries at brunch. But in retrospect, I blame my selection, not the restaurant. It’s just not what I wanted but it’s exactly what I ordered, save the extra salt.
I have no doubt that given another chance, I’d do a better job ordering something I really want and that Market Table would deliver a very nice meal. Based on my surveillance of other tables, I would get the blood orange salad appetizer and the burger, the strip steak or the braised lamb shank. Maybe I’ll just get all of them.
The service was fine and friendly, but nothing extraordinary. It’s a missed opportunity for a restaurant when its service doesn’t add a little character to the place. At the same time, this is meant to be a casual atmosphere, so as long as the plates are cleared, the cups are filled, the bread is there, and the server can answer some questions on the menu, well I’m cool with that.
The West Village has become riddled with a slew of regrettable, cheap restaurants and bars of the tourist-trap, Caliente Cab Co variety. Of course, there’s still a laundry list of great places, from low to high price. But it never hurts to see one more for the good guys.
West Village: 54 Carmine (and Bedford) - (212) 255-2100
Price: Mid-Range
Rating (1-10): 7
The quick and dirty:
Market Table offers a sophisticated yet comfy and unstuffy atmosphere with the food to match. The point of this place isn’t to hit you over the head with dazzlingly complicated cooking, décor, or service; instead Market Table makes small twists on the food here and there, but stays simple and refined – and the return is high quality. It’s not food to impress; it’s food done right, and that should impress.
The menu is small and the dishes are straightforward – a carefully selected handful of ingredients in each dish, cooked to maximize their own essence. This is a sophisticated and challenging kind of cooking that lets food be itself.
I had the seared halibut on a bed of home fries and rock shrimp (interesting combo – despite what I say in the paragraph above, I’m not sure yet how they tie) and caramelized onion. It tasted good - crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside - but as fish at restaurants often does, it left me feeling like I could have prepared the dish at home. There was no special sauce, no special spice, just good salt and pepper seasoning. The bed it sat on was oversalted and the peculiar rock shrimp/potato combo was in the end not much different from good home fries at brunch. But in retrospect, I blame my selection, not the restaurant. It’s just not what I wanted but it’s exactly what I ordered, save the extra salt. If I had to do it again, I’d get the blood orange salad appetizer and the burger, the strip steak or the braised lamb shank.
The service was fine and friendly, but nothing extraordinary. At the same time, this is meant to be a casual atmosphere, so as long as the plates are cleared, the cups are filled, the bread is there, and the server can answer some questions on the menu, I’m cool with that.
Full Review:
Market Table, a combo effort of chefs of the Mermaid Inn and the Little Owl, offers a sophisticated yet comfy and unstuffy atmosphere with the food to match. The place isn’t woefully original – the interior feels familiar, feels like it has been done before. The theme is a small grocery/deli connected to the restaurant, I suppose, so that you can see and buy what they use. Big deal. I think Blue Hill, in the same neighborhood, sourcing from a farm upstate is a much cooler concept.
But there’s something to be said of a place that doesn’t try too hard to be something it’s not, and likewise to make its food something it’s not. The point of this place isn’t to hit you over the head with dazzlingly complicated cooking, décor, or service; instead Market Table makes small twists on the food here and there, but stays simple and refined, close to the style of its owners – and the return is high quality. It’s not food to impress; it’s food done right, and that should impress.
The menu is small (7 entrees) and I had no problem with that – the last thing I want is a place that claims to do steak, sushi, burritos, and falafel. Besides, if the menu was any longer, it would only have made it more stressful to choose from all the delicious sounding plates.
The dishes are similar to the Little Owl’s in their simplicity – a carefully selected handful of ingredients in each dish, cooked to maximize their own essence. In my mind, this is the most sophisticated and challenging kind of cooking – the kind that lets food be itself. It shows discipline and a real understanding of taste. It’s often easier to mask the core ingredients of a dish with 12 additional vegetables, some bright yellow mango and 47 spicy spices – think Emeril Live. If you make the food sufficiently unrecognizable and the flavors sufficiently confusing, then you might get the benefit of the doubt that it’s actually good. Thankfully, Market Table does not lean on that crutch.
I had the seared halibut. Below it sat home fries and rock shrimp (interesting combo – despite what I say in the paragraph above, I’m not sure yet how they tie) and caramelized onion. It tasted good - crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside - but as fish at restaurants often does, it left me feeling like I could have prepared the dish at home. There was no special sauce, no special spice, just good salt and pepper seasoning. The bed it sat on was oversalted and the peculiar rock shrimp/potato combo was in the end not much different from good home fries at brunch. But in retrospect, I blame my selection, not the restaurant. It’s just not what I wanted but it’s exactly what I ordered, save the extra salt.
I have no doubt that given another chance, I’d do a better job ordering something I really want and that Market Table would deliver a very nice meal. Based on my surveillance of other tables, I would get the blood orange salad appetizer and the burger, the strip steak or the braised lamb shank. Maybe I’ll just get all of them.
The service was fine and friendly, but nothing extraordinary. It’s a missed opportunity for a restaurant when its service doesn’t add a little character to the place. At the same time, this is meant to be a casual atmosphere, so as long as the plates are cleared, the cups are filled, the bread is there, and the server can answer some questions on the menu, well I’m cool with that.
The West Village has become riddled with a slew of regrettable, cheap restaurants and bars of the tourist-trap, Caliente Cab Co variety. Of course, there’s still a laundry list of great places, from low to high price. But it never hurts to see one more for the good guys.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
